July 14
Wat Phu (or Vat Phou)
Depending on the westernization, the temple complex Wat Phu can also be spelled Vat Phou. They’re just alternate spellings for the same place.
Wat Phu is located about 30km south of Pakse, in a place where it is believed the first items with religious significance date from the 2nd Century BCE. One of them is a carving of what is debated to be either a human or crocodile deeply embedded into a large stone. The stone is still there. Unfortunately work was being done in the area of the crocodile stone when I visited and so I couldn’t see it first hand, but you can find pictures of it here.
View of the outer wall of the North Palace, temple hill in the background
The earliest Hindu remnants date from the 5th or 6th century, which predates Angkor Wat by 6 or 7 hundred years. Some of the main temple structures from that era are still standing.
According to archaeological studies, it is likely that Wat Phu was a temple complex that was so important that an entire ancient city was created along the banks of the Mekong River to support its construction and use. Remnants of city walls and other city accoutrements are actively being unearthed for study.
As the Khmer empire expended in the 11th-13th centuries, they built additional structures at Wat Phu and other important temples throughout what is now Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
The main sanctuary on top of the hill dates from the 5th or 6th Century
Many of these temples were joined by a paved road which had endpoints at Angkor Wat and Wat Phu. At Wat Phu, remnants of the road still are visible.
Because of the distance from Pakse, the easiest method to get to Wat Phu is to rent a motorbike or join a guided tour group. I opted for the motorbike because I wanted to do parts of the Bolaven Plateau loop as well. I did get lost, Google Maps failed me miserably, and I also got caught in a thunderstorm while riding, which turned the mislabeled road into a muddy mess.
But I got to Wat Phu and saw the dramatic surroundings and temples. While not as large or ostentatious as Angkor Wat, these structures are every bit as impressive, especially considering they were built more than a half millennium before Angkor Wat.
Elephant Rock is near the cliffside overlooking the ancient town
Wat Phu Gallery
The South Palace of Wat Phu
Nandi Temple is on the lower level by the North and South Palaces.
Remnants of the ancient road from Wat Phu to Angkor Wat
A false door on the North Palace
The lintel carvings on the palaces are in remarkably good shape
The main promenade from the Palaces up to the main sanctuary
After the promenade in order to reach the sanctuary you have to traverse a steep stairway
The stairway up to the sanctuary
The sanctuary from the side
The sanctuary is still used as an active shrine
The Buddha in the Sanctuary
The view from the sanctuary terrace to the South Palace and the promenade
There are flocks of butterflies up by the sanctuary
The gate over the highway to Wat Phu. The entire complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site